I was chasing after girls and asking them if they’d be in a shot. A few of them were up for it until they saw the bag

Living in Tokyo for the last nine years has given photographer Max Hodges access to plenty of interesting fodder for shoots. And thanks to his work on an audio guide of the capital's red light district, the kinky community welcomed him with open arms, resulting in the perfectly preserved pretties on these pages.

“I got the idea from another photographer called Hal who was shooting couples in tight spaces,” says Max. “He was putting them in massive zip-up bags and sucking the air out. I thought it'd be great to try this at a fetish event the next night.”

With only a day to prepare, Max brought six large bags, designed to house futon mattresses for storage, and an industrial vacuum to try it out for himself.

“I’m pretty tall, I’ve done snorkelling, and I have a big lung capacity, but the first time I did it I got pretty upset because I didn’t know what to expect,” says Max. “The bag got really tight around me and I got to a point where it was really squeezing my lungs. Each time I inhaled I was losing what little oxygen I had left.”

Unfazed by his airtight tryout, Max arrived at the Torture Garden Japan 2011 Autumn Ball, set up his lights and a two-metre high ladder, cornered off a small space, and rounded up the most eye-catching club-goers for a quick suction session. “It takes 30 seconds to remove the air from the bag,” says Max. “Then I’d snap two quick pictures and it'd be over. Each girl only spent a maximum of 10 seconds vacuum-packed without air.”

After his own hairy experience, Max was careful to tell each girl what they should expect, including an uncomfortable feeling and a pressure on their chest. His assistants carefully moved the girls into different positions and included accessories like handbags and killer heels for the final effect.

“It was great to do something different and it meant I wasn’t repeating projects I’d shot before, but I don’t consider myself an artist," admits Max. “I just thought it'd be fun to put petit Japanese girls inside a massive plastic bag”.

WARNING! DANGER ZONE Getting vacuum-packed can be fatal. Don’t ever do it!